Dallas is on a long march toward equity, and a new study and a recent City Council discussion of a future $1 billion bond program illustrate just how long, arduous and expensive that trek will be.

According to a recent Southern Methodist University study, Dallas is dotted with 62 infrastructure deserts, areas that lack sidewalks, crosswalks, public transportation access or even connections to the citys water and wastewater systems. After reviewing nearly 800 neighborhoods based on the quality of infrastructure, the researchers concluded that low-income communities, many in southern Dallas, are up to four times more likely to have highly deficient infrastructure than their high-income counterparts in other parts of the city.

Reports such as this remind us that Dallas is in the midst of a reckoning after decades of neglect, disinvestment, racism and poor policy decisions in southern Dallas neighborhoods. Dallas is largely divided by race and wide gaps in income and opportunities that ultimately threaten the citys overall economic health and potential.

It is unacceptable that poverty, crime, educational opportunities, health and family income and wealth can be mapped by ZIP codes and race. Roughly 45% of the citys residents live in southern Dallas neighborhoods that make up only 15% of the citys tax base, a disparity that hurts all of the city.

Unless this changes, property tax burdens will remain significant and uneven, and city services will be further strained. Public safety investments will continue to consume larger portions of the city budget, effectively edging out other investments needed to rebuild underserved neighborhoods. Private businesses have a role to play in neighborhood revitalization. But so does the city through investment in the water mains, street lights and sidewalks that make a neighborhood more livable.

No single city budget or bond program will instantly undo these disparities, many of which have been pointed out in countless reports over decades. Progress, however, hasnt always been strategic, efficient or ample enough to uplift neglected neighborhoods to a level that they can better contribute to and share more fully in Dallas future.

The citys to-do list is long, and each operating budget and bond program must strategically provide infrastructure improvements, sustain growth and improve quality of life in underserved neighborhoods. During a recent bond discussion, council members wavered between concerns that the citys preliminary $1 billion bond proposal wont provide enough money for key priorities to whether a $1 billion price tag is too much debt.

The inescapable reality is that Dallas is in the spot that many homeowners face. Not replacing a bad roof or crumbling foundation may save money today, but ultimately it makes the home less livable and erodes its overall value. Dallas future requires significant resources to rebuild neighborhoods and make city government more efficient and responsive to residents. And no, this is not a choice. It is an imperative that requires the city to step up its game.

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Can Dallas afford the price tag of progress? It doesnt have another choice - The Dallas Morning News